(P. S.: Since the power levels in the anime are quite inconsistent, I'm also quite conflicted about many of the power settings. Some of the power level depictions in this chapter are purely my personal opinions, and I've tried my best to make them logical. Please forgive any errors!)
Xia Chen stood still without making any movement, only a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.
"Clang!"
The sound of a collision rang out, Dorry and Brogy looked surprised. Their axes and swords hadn't hit Xia Chen Xia Chen at all; instead, they had struck a blood-red defensive shield surrounding him.
That's right, this is the "Master, Don't Be Afraid Shield that Xia Chen created himself!
It's just that a tiny bit changed in the Demonized State!
First, the defensive shield turned blood-red under the influence of murderous intent; second, it has an additional small function compared to the original version.
Xia Chen parted his lips slightly.
"Rebound!"
Instantly, a powerful force erupted from Xia Chen's defensive shield, blasting Dorry and Brogy away.
Xia Chen's defensive shield is now so strong that it will reflect back any amount of force used, no matter how much force is not enough to break it. It's much stronger than before!
However, there is a limitation: this effect only occurs in the Demonized State; it does not occur in normal circumstances.
Actually, Xia Chen and Dorry weren't planning to use their special forms during the fight, but they had no choice because the other side didn't trust them, so they had to use their special forms to prove themselves.
The consequence of activating his new form is that their strength is now on a completely different level. They can't even break through his shield, and attacking him wouldn't even scratch him. Moreover, his shield also has a counter-armor effect.
Before he could even make a move, they'd have already killed themselves.
Xia Chen dispelled his defensive shield and said to the two of them, "Let's skip this boring fighting and go straight for your combined attack. I'm really looking forward to seeing how powerful it is!"
Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked at Xia Chen. Dorry asked, "Are you sure you want us to use a combined attack? It's incredibly powerful!"
"It's better if it's powerful; otherwise, it's no fun!"
Hearing Xia Chen say this, the two of them no longer hesitated, because they knew that without using their combined attack, they were no match for Xia Chen, and didn't even have the right to fight him.
The only thing the two of them could match Xia Chen in in terms of combined attack power was their combined attack.
"In that case, you'd better not die!"
After speaking Dorry and Brogy stood on either side of him, raising their swords and axes.
In an instant, the aura emanating from the two men grew stronger and stronger. When it reached its peak, they simultaneously raised their weapons and swung them forward.
" Hakikisha!"
A powerful attack erupted from the point where their weapons clashed, and at the same moment, both weapons shattered.
Seeing the attack coming towards him, Xia Chen's face showed an excited expression.
"Can you feel such a strong sense of oppression even from this distance?"
"Come on! Let me see the true value of this Hakikisha!"
With that, a crimson aura enveloped the staff in Xia Chen's hand, and then he slammed it down fiercely against the incoming attack.
" Great Vajra Thunder Bagua!"
"Boom!"
The instant the two attacks clashed, a devastating shockwave emanated from the center of the battle, its powerful aftershocks lifting the surrounding land layer upon layer.
"Drink~"
"Break for me...!"
After holding out for more than ten seconds, Xia Chen roared and exerted his strength again, shattering the Hakikisha!
"Hahaha... The power is indeed strong!" Xia Chen laughed and said.
On the other hand, Dorry and Brogy on the opposite side looked dazed and didn't react for a long time.
" The Hakikisha... has been defeated head-on?"
Even though they had witnessed it with their own eyes, they still found it hard to believe. No one knew the power of the Hakikisha better than the two of them.
In the past, no matter what difficulties they encountered, they could always defeat their enemies using this tactic, but now...
It was actually stopped by a 16-year-old boy!
Are they too old to lift knives anymore? That doesn't make sense!
After taking the hit, Xia Chen also deactivated his Demonized Form and made a judgment in his mind.
The power of the Hakikisha did not seem to be as great as he had imagined.
Although he had already used all his strength to resist the Hakikisha, he wouldn't have been able to withstand it if the power had been any stronger.
But the problem is, he actually thought he couldn't stop them!
After all, the Hakikisha has only occurred twice, and both times it had a shocking effect.
The first time, this move was used to wipe out the island-eating monster on the west side of the island— the Goldfish King!
The second time was even more shocking, as it completely wiped out the Kid Pirates. This caused Xia Chen a great shock at the time.
But now that he has personally experienced the power of this move, he has a different perspective.
At that time, the two main fighters of the Kid Pirates, Kid and Killer, were instantly Red Hair by Shanks's Divine Departure. The remaining members didn't have much screen time, and their actual strength was unknown.
Moreover, at that time, this move by the Hakikisha only cut their ship directly in half, so its exact power is unknown and can only be guessed.
But now he knows!
Although he didn't know exactly how strong he was after activating his Demonized State, he was at most at the level of a deputy emperor, or even weaker.
At least for now, if he were to fight Katakuri, he would most likely lose, but the difference in skill level wouldn't be too great.
During this time, he also gained a general understanding of how the system categorized the levels of Haki.
For example, Katakuri's Observation Haki, which allows him to foresee the Future Sight, is a top-tier Observation Haki, which is the next level after advanced.
He's only at the intermediate level of Observation Haki, a full two levels below that. How can he possibly win?
Furthermore, Katakuri's Armament Haki has unsurprisingly reached an advanced level, as evidenced by how he made Luffy 'Luffy tremble during their fight.
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that the demonization had significantly boosted his strength, he wouldn't have dared to compare himself to Katakuri!
It seems he really did hold back during his fight with Hawk-Eyes!
Xia Chen has already witnessed the power of the Hakikisha, and his next anticipated combined attack is the Hakai!
The power of the Hakai is definitely much stronger than that of the Hakikisha attack, after all, it is a combined attack technique of two Four Emperors!
Moreover, you can tell which one is more powerful just from their names.
One is a country, the other is the sea!
Dominating a country or dominating the seas—it's obvious which is more impressive, right?
However, there won't be a chance to experience the power of this move for now!
Xia Chen slowly landed on the ground, and as soon as he did, Luffy ran towards him.
" Xia Chen, you were so cool just now!"
"Really? I think so too!" Xia Chen replied, flashing a bright white smile, and then added:
"Now that this battle is over, it's time to take care of some other miscellaneous matters!"
After saying that, Xia Chen closed his eyes and unleashed his Observation Haki to fully perceive his surroundings. After a while, he opened his eyes, his face full of strange expressions...